LAST week The Chronicle exclusively reported how a cash-strapped Chester Cathedral was being forced to pay for CCTV to combat the actions of drunken yobs.

This week we have joined forces with those who run the historic building to launch a campaign to help combat the crisis. Reporter JESSICA SHAUGHNESSY talks to the Dean of Chester and the cathedral's administrator about what plans they have to meet their financial targets.

A CASH crisis is crippling Chester's historic cathedral.

Its dean, the Very Rev Dr Gordon McPhate, and administrator David Burrows have sounded alarm bells for the future of the city's most famous building.

'We are desperate for money', said Dr McPhate. 'Since I arrived here two years ago the cathedral has been on the very edge of its overdraft limit from month to month.'

'The cathedral is the heart of the city and it does a tremendous amount for tourism in Chester. But now it is in trouble.'

Mr Burrows said: 'If we closed the cathedral our problems would be over - we would just have to pay for maintenance, but nobody wants that.'

In last week's Chronicle, we reported that the cathedral was strapped for cash and unable to afford CCTV to deter yobs who terrorise the grounds.

But this week the full extent of the financial hardship has been revealed.

The cathedral has fallen £500,000 short for the past two years and has been existing on a shoestring budget of £1m, which just covers running costs.

The shortage means vital repair work to the building is not being carried out on the ancient roof and an ailing tower, which could soon result in a health and safety nightmare.

Dr McPhate said: 'Over the past two years there has been scaffolding surrounding the cathedral tower. But we can't actually afford to do the work.

'So the scaffolding has become yet another symptom of our cathedral's sickness. We could hold appeals to raise money for the roof and the tower but that would be a short-term solution.

'The building is old and it constantly needs maintaining. We keep putting it off year after year, but sooner or later it will be dangerous.'

Dr McPhate says there are drastic money-saving options which could be taken, but they will kill off the cathedral in the long-term.

'We could make redundancies, but we are already working on skeletal staff. The team could not manage the extra strain. Life at the cathedral would be decimated,' he said.

'Clearly, we could consider charging visitors, but I would be sorry to see this house of God erect turnstiles and barriers at its doors, turning a living spiritual resource into a ghetto, a fortress, a museum.

'Another option is to reduce activity within the cathedral and save on running and staffing costs. But how can we do that when so much that goes on in the cathedral is a huge part of culture and tourism in Chester?'

Dr McPhate said another option is to sell some of the properties in the cathedral grounds but, in the long run, the annual income which comes from rent would be sorely missed.

He also made assurances that though the cathedral still owes £350,000 for the new Song School, it is not the cause of the money problems.

'The troubles go back further than that,' he said. 'In fact, we are hoping that the Song School will help us in the long run. The problems actually stem from September 11, 2001.'

With no funding from the Government and just £120,000 a year from the Church of England, the cathedral is dependent on donations.

Chester City Council does pay for the cathedral when it uses the building as a venue, but when the diocese of Chester and the bishop use the cathedral they cannot afford to make a contribution.

The cathedral's regular congregation of 300 raise £80,000 each year, the shop and the refectory pull in a profit of £150,000 and rent from cathedral accommodation brings in £350,000.

The cathedral normally aims to raise about £800,000 from tour-ists, but recently it has only reached £250,000.

Since the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York, less Americans are jetting to Chester - and they were the cathedral's most generous visitors.

Dr McPhate added: 'We used to hit our targets of £1,500,000 year on year with visitor donations. Last year we had 800,000 visitors - mostly Russians and Japanese - and if they had each just given £1 we'd have been all right, but the average donation was just 29p.'

Colin Potts, Chester City Council's tourism manager, says the cathedral is one of the most visited attractions in Chester, second only to the zoo.

'It is vital to the tourism industry,' said Mr Potts, 'it is currently one of the main reasons that people visit Chester. And one of the things that people like most about it is, it is free.'

Siblings dive in to lend hand >>>

Siblings dive in to lend hand

TWINS dedicated to Chester Cathedral completed an hour-long sponsored swim for the Song School Appeal.

Leading chorister Emile Perkins and his sister Charlotte, who is also in the cathedral's choir, managed to collect £420.

The 13-year-olds, from Ellesmere, handed a cheque to music director David Poulter after their big effort at The King's School, which they attend.

Appeal manager Roger Thornhill said: 'This is a wonderful effort by these two young people. They each did fantastically well to swim for a whole hour and also to get loads of people to sponsor them so generously.

'We are enormously grateful to them and their sponsors.'

The Song School will provide self-contained accommodation for the choir and music staff at the cathedral.

With rehearsal rooms, a library for their extensive stock of music, changing facilities and so on, it is anticipated it will last for at least 500 years.

The building will also be available for community use for exhibitions, displays and small-scale performances.

'5,000 patrons can solve the problem'

THE CRISIS-HIT cathedral is turning to its diocese for help.

In conjunction with The Chronicle, a Cathedral in Crisis campaign is being launched this week to get its bank balance out of the red.

The dean, the Very Rev Dr Gordon McPhate, is asking people to support the appeal by pledging £5 a month.

If just 5,000 people from the diocese of Chester sign up, then the cathedral's problems will be solved.

If you become a Cathedral in Crisis patron and pledge £5 a month, £60 a year, then Gift Aid - a tax initiative to benefit charities - will give an extra 28%, bumping the total to £76.80p.

With 5,000 patrons, the cathedral can earn nearly £400,000 extra, which will mean it can keep the historic building in good condition.

In return, patrons will receive updates about how the appeal is progressing and newsletters about what's going on in the cathedral.

They will also get invitations to attend cathedral events and receive gifts of vouchers for the cathedral refectory and gift shop.

The Chronicle will boost the campaign by supporting it and following its progress until the cathedral has recruited its first 1,000 patrons.